


Beacon in the Darkness

by RazleDazle



Series: Beacon in the Darkness [1]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Airplane Crashes, Anal Sex, Christian/Catholic Prayer, Coma, Description of dead body, Funeral, Hospital, M/M, Original Character Death(s), Sexual Content, Suicide, What happens after death, description of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-30 19:11:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8545690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RazleDazle/pseuds/RazleDazle
Summary: The innocence of a childhood conversation suddenly turns into a disaster. Link wakes up in a confusing place. Where is he? How did he get there? These are questions we ask, dear reader, but ones that Link ignores as he seeks out the most important person, Rhett.





	1. Flight Amongst the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Present Day, Link is married, no mention of Rhett’s wife, no children, Link POV  
> \-------  
> Quote:  
> [Link] floated in the boy’s [Rhett’s] voice, letting it take him up and away towards the stars that he admired. . .His body welled up and he felt like he could explode into rays of light that would bounce off everything that touched the earth.

===============================================

 

“What would you take on a deserted island?” Young Rhett asked as they lay on their backs staring up at the night sky.  Link traced the constellations with his finger trying to find the right grouping of stars that he had learned about in Science class.   

 

“Hmm . . .? What?” Link said absentmindedly. The damp grass that soaked through the back of his t-shirt made him shiver. The cool night forgotten in Link’s concentration on his search.

 

“Man, you’re not even listening. What are you pointing at?” Rhett shifted his body, mild annoyance in his voice as he glanced over at Link. 

 

“M’looking for the “little horse” constellation.” Link murmured, finger still in the air, reaching out trying to touch the bright sparkling dots against the black sky. 

 

“Don’t be dumb. It’s not ‘little horse.’ It’s Equuleus.” Rhett began to rattle off the whole story about how the hiding woman was transformed into a mare and sent to the stars by the goddess Artemis.  Link didn’t much care about the how’s and why’s. He liked horses, miniature horses. This constellation was called “little horse” and it was close enough in his mind.  

 

“M’like little horses, Rhett.” Link mumbled. Tongue between his teeth and one eye closed, he squinted intent on discovering the right star. 

 

Ignoring him or not hearing his soft voice, Rhett continued. “Besides, if you are going to look for a horse constellation, you should look at Pegasus. He flies. That’s much cooler. He . . . ” Rhett declared, snapping Link out of his concentration. 

 

Link gave up on his search, interrupting Rhett. “So what was this about a desert?” 

 

“Deserted island, Link. I said, ‘What would you take on a deserted island?’ I would probably take a hunting knife and nets and ropes and gallons of water.. . . “ Link listened to Rhett’s inflection as he chatted on. The young blonde boy’s voice had begun to change to a deep sweet baritone that Link could listen to for hours. It vibrated deep within his bones, making his body shudder and his heart skip beats. He floated in the boy’s voice, letting it take him up and away towards the stars that he admired.  Closing his eyes, he imagined the voice in waves, short and long, reaching his ears. Travelling through his ear canal and caressing his eardrum like tiny fingers.  

 

“Link. . .Link.  I asked you a question.”  Rhett said loudly, clearly impatient with the younger boy’s lack of attention to his musings.  

 

“What? Oh yeah.  Deserted island. I don’t know. Would you be there?” 

 

“Yeah, probably.” 

 

“Well, then I guess that’s it.” Link stated matter of factly.  When Rhett lifted his head from the grass and looked over at him, with wide eyes, Link stammered, “Well, yeah and of course water or food, that’s important, too.”  

 

Rhett stared at Link for another instant, as if trying to see through to his soul. Trying to figure the smaller boy out. Link blinked and Rhett’s face was gone from his view and back to his ponderings.  

 

“I wonder what it would be like to live in space. If there’s aliens. . . or time travel. . . what if the aliens are mean. . . I wonder if there are boys that are similar to us. . . What if they’re best friends? Like us! . . .“ As Rhett began to chatter on about aliens and other planets and other Rhett and Link’s, the smaller boy laced his fingers and put his hands behind his head.  Listening to the deep tones of his friend, like soft music, Link drifted up through the trees, to the inky black sky and took flight among the stars.  His heart tugged him in a direction that he didn’t quite understand. 

 

= = = = = = = = = = =

  
  


“Link! Link, wake up.” A rough shoulder jammed into his side. “Link, your oxygen mask.” The voice begged. “Put on your oxygen mask!” Link could hear the whoosh of air in his eardrums and the woo of alarms going off. Dragging himself from sleep, he felt something slap on his face and the cool fresh feeling enter his nostrils. “Wha. . .?” his voice was muffled, drowned by the mask on his face and the piercing sounds of chaos all around him.  Noises blared in his head as his body was jerked back and forth, throwing him around in his seat, rattling his teeth.  

 

He felt his surroundings hurling downward, while his body stayed in place. Feeling light and weightless, his stomach was unsure as his heart flew to his throat.  “Rhe. . .” He tried as he turned his head toward his friend. The cabin lights flickered and went out, shrouding Link in complete darkness. 

 

Scared he reached out, grasping nothing but air. Suddenly his body was thrown forward, sending his head roughly into the hard plastic seat in front of him.  The last thing he remembered, was a soft over sized hand gripping his.  

 

=================

 

Dancing on the wind, Link felt his body floating like a speck of dust in the breeze. Swaying side to side lazily.  Eyes fluttering open and closed and then open again, Link let out a soft moan, “Mmm. . .”  as he stretched.  Link reached out his body as far as it would go, feeling the painful pleasure of tendons elongating and joints cracking, a sweet release of tension. The bright morning sun coated his body in a warm comfortable blanket. 

 

Lifting his head, he felt dazed, agitated, but safe. Things felt right, like he was where he belonged. Putting his hands on either side of his head, his fingers dug into the soft sand.    With an “Oomph,” he pushed himself up and to his knees, Brushing the sand that clung to his bare chest, he gazed down, watching the small streams of the shore fall down into the holes he created with his fingers.  Slightly dizzy, he was confused but that didn’t matter. This place felt like home. Like he had always been here. Nowhere else seemed of consequence.  Hopping up, he padded down the dunes, bare feet sinking in the scorching sand, burning his ankles. But Link didn’t care. It felt wonderous, like he was finally found after years of hiding and losing himself. He felt free.   

 

Peering to his right, he saw a wide expanse of blue lapping at the coast. Seagulls cawed as they drifted above. Soft plush clouds dotted an ever widening crystal clear sky that surrounded the white floating birds.  He could just taste the richness of the world. The salty air was enchanting as it flowed through Link’s lungs, pumping oxygenated blood to his extremities, making him feel strong and powerful, serene and happy.  His body welled up and he felt like he could explode into rays of light that would bounce off everything that touched the earth.  Shooting into and across the sky, painting it in colors of blue, white and gold. With a smile on his face, he lazily moved his eyes across the canvas of his reality. It was like a beautiful painting come to life. Everything pristine and colorful filled his eyes. 

 

Up a small sandy incline and to the left, tall slim palm trees and thick forest stood, beckoning him to explore. Trees that were supported by large, thick trunks lined the forest in zigzag patterns. Leaves, coconuts and palm sticking in all directions, twisted up in each other. The flora seemed to breathe with life and if Link listened closely he could hear the sounds of branches swaying in the breeze. 

  
Directly in front of him, he saw thin gray plumes of smoke puffing from the ground.  The dark spirals ascended slowly as they danced together, spinning and dipping. Dissipating into the sky, as the vapors travelled further upward. A huge smile formed on his face. Waves of knowledge overwhelmed his senses.  He knew who waited for him at the base of that smoke. His heart tugged him forward.  


	2. Torn from the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link flits between worlds. Dreaming? Living? What is real and what is an apparition? Link doesn’t wonder about these questions. All he wants is to seek safety in Rhett’s arms and in his bed. But he will find that something is ripping him away from the comfort that he seeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>   
>  Unwrapping himself from the other man, Link felt totally at peace. Weak and happy, the brunette’s body poured off of Rhett and onto the space next to him. Holding hands and listening to each other’s breathing slow down to a comfortable rhythm, everything was complete and as it should be.

* * *

 

As Rhett chased Link down the beach, the brunette squealed in exhilaration.  Running with all his heart, his soul leapt from his body and experienced the open air and the blue sky.  His graceful legs took long strides through the white sand, hardly sinking in.  It was as if he were hovering above the earth, barely touching it. Link felt unrestricted as the wind whipped his dark hair about his forehead. Like his body could expand and touch the furthest part of the island while he ran here on the coast.  

 

He was scarcely out of breath, as he sprinted headlong across the coast, tasting the salty air with each gasp, sand lightly spraying in his face.  This was the happiest he had ever imagined himself being. There were no other memories that measured up to this moment of being with his best friend among the seashells and palm trees. Just the two of them in their secret paradise.  

 

As Link turned his head to look back, he felt a solid body slam into him sending him flying into the soft surf of the ocean.  He didn’t even register that his face was under water until two large, quick hands, attached to strong muscled arms yanked him to his feet.  Flinging him toward the sand, Link landed with a plop and Rhett was on top of him. Kissing and tasting the salty water from Link’s cheeks and lips.  Licking and savoring his chin and neck, making Link titter and wriggle his body against Rhett’s form.  

 

Link was nothing but a ball of sensation, taking in everything Rhett was doing to his body.  Teeth on clavicles, fingers wrapping around wet hair and pulling, crotch on Link’s legs rubbing up and down. Rhett was descending downward, Link could feel tingles moving closer and closer. Past his sternum, tongue in the belly button,  travelling achingly slowly down the lower stomach.  Hands lowering swim trunks. The heat of his mouth as it wrapped around . . . 

 

“Oh.” Rhett moaned, his fingers and tongue ceasing all movement. “UHHH!” Jumping to his feet, he bent over in pain.  “Rhett? Rhett, what’s a matter?” Link asked, eyes opening, voice slightly panicked.  

 

Rhett’s face was a pale white sheet and his brow sweating. As he hunched over, his arms wrapped tightly around his midsection and his body went rigid.  Link felt a pull in his gut, pulling him away from Rhett. A piercing pain that sent his insides flying across the island away from him, as he sat empty watching his friend cry out. His eyes glazed over and his focus began to flick in and out.  Something travelled across the sky, blocking out the sun casting the island in black and white shadows.  All he could hear, all he could imagine were Rhett’s screams and the black murky ooze drenching their island paradise. Blinking, he struggled to lock his eyes on Rhett’s.    

 

On shaky legs, Link made his way to his friend.  Straining, he pressed his body around Rhett and squeezed tightly.  It was like their bodies were made of magnets with the same poles. No matter how firmly Link held on to Rhett, there was a force that was pushing them apart. 

 

Securing himself around Rhett’s middle, the tall man felt soft and squishy. No where near the solid and confident form he had been just minutes before.  Moaning and quivering in Link’s arms, he could feel the blonde man disappearing, like the brunette could almost step right through him. Link was losing his grasp, Rhett was slipping away.  “Rhett, are you ok? Rhett!” 

 

Link blinked and saw strange shapes before his eyes, darkness, coldness, metal.  Wiping his face against Rhett’s shoulders, afraid to lift his hands, afraid to let go because Rhett might vanish, Link’s focus came back.  Everything was there, but not there. It had a surreal, shiny quality. Fuzzy at the edges.  Shapes and hazy see through sensations coated their paradise.

 

“Rhett, what’s wrong with me? I feel strange . . . “  Suddenly, Link couldn’t feel Rhett anymore, couldn’t feel his arms. His head felt like it was going to split open and detach from his body. The sand below his feet disappeared, replaced by an empty, swirling chasm.  Falling through the ground, the planet swallowed him whole. Darkness claimed his sight and he screamed. 

 

==========================

 

“Rhu-u-u-u” Link grappled with his voice as he attempted to yell out. His ears bleeding at the sound, an invisible weight pressing down on his chest.  His arms and legs quivered with the effort Link put forth trying to lift them. “Rh-u-u-u-” Link’s voice strained against something solid, his lips barely moving and his tongue limp.

 

“Link. . . Link . . . Are you awake? Wake up, baby.” A strange, familiar voice rang out.  Link’s eyelids felt impossibly heavy as he attempted to part them.  A peak of light came through his eyelashes.  Flashes of white, of figures standing over and around him.  Hands hovering and pawing at him.  He felt uncomfortable, everything seemed too bright and concrete.  Every movement was burdensome and his body hurt.   

 

“Open your eyes, baby.”  The words sent his body swaying, his insides gurgling and head swimming. A light feathery touch caressed his shoulder and a breeze blew against his cheek and he was yanked back.  

 

The strange pull that had taken him away from Rhett, now pulled him away from this baffling apparition. He drifted on air, swirling in pure light.  His body felt discarded as his spirit travelled to all the places that Link had ever wanted to visit.  Looking over cities with shining lights, peering at magnificent structures, gazing at wonderous works of art.  His mind was full and happy, but his heart continued to tug him away from these strange places. This was not home. This was not where his being belonged.  He felt himself zoom through time and space at the speed of light it seemed, until he plunged back into his body. 

 

Opening his eyes, he peered at the darkening sky.  He lay in the warm sand, that was quickly cooling as the day came to an end. Kneading his fingers into soft beach, everything seemed real and dependable again, color had returned to his vision. All fear washed away from him, as it clicked in his brain where he was. Rolling over, he glimpsed Rhett lying next to him, eyes closed, softly snoring.   Scooting as close as he could get without touching him, Link lifted his pointer finger and traced down Rhett’s forehead, to his prominent nose, to his soft kissable lips.  Hesitating slightly, Link ran his finger along Rhett’s lower lip enjoying the feel of the softness, feeling Rhett kiss against the tip.  

 

“Mmm. . .Link . . .”  Rhett sighed, opening his eyes and shifting them in the shorter man’s direction. “Welcome back. You were asleep a long time.”  Rhett smiled and put his hand on Link’s own that was teasing at his lips.  Closing the gap, Rhett placed his lips onto Link’s in the softest brush of a kiss. Link’s mouth buzzed under the feel of Rhett’s beard and soft tongue, shooting sparks into Link’s brain, causing neurons to fire every which way.  

 

Holding hands and kissing lazily, both men let their lips slide against the other’s, until sleep took them again. 

 

======================

 

> A soft voice: _ Link . . .Link . . .Where are you?  _
> 
>  
> 
> A frantic voice, blaring sounds: Link, something’s wrong . . . Link! . . . .
> 
>  
> 
> A soft voice:  _ Come back. . . Come back. . . _
> 
>  
> 
> A frantic voice, blaring sounds:  _ Link! Buddy . . . Oh shit. . . This is bad. . . . _
> 
>  
> 
> An unknown voice:  _ We found him. . . Unresponsive . . .  _

  
  


Link’s eyes flew open and took in the tiny dimly lit room.  Gasping and shaking his body out of his dream, Link swivelled his head from side to side and settled his eyes on the large body draped over the edge of the bed next to him. Sighing happily, Link quietly and delicately enfolded his body around that of his best friend’s.  Revelling in the warmth and strength of the other man, Link attempted to free himself of the fear and uncertainty his dreams had left him with.  Glimpses flashed before his eyes, a world full of painful brightness, it was hard and cold and too loud.  Dark, hazy figures milled around him, picking at him and hurting him. His body was motionless and he was trapped.  Voices tinted with familiarity echoed in the corners of his mind, the memory of something far away. Link burrowed his head into Rhett’s shoulder and trembled, stirring the larger man. 

 

“Mmm. . .Too early,” Rhett mumbled, grabbing the shorter man’s hand and bringing it closer to his face, cuddling with it. Link scooted closer to the other man’s backside, kissing the back of his neck. Link wanted the comfort and security of the taller man to break the spell the nightmares had caused. Biting at Rhett and pushing his lips through his hair, Link inhaled, trapping his smell in his senses, sweat, sand, and salt. Tasting the sea air attached to his skin.  Link nudged at the blonde man’s neck with his nose. Singing in a whispered voice, “Rhe-e-et. Rhett, time to get up.” as the other man groaned and curled tighter into himself. 

 

Link ran the length of his body down the man’s backside, fitting himself into the arch of Rhett’s back, Link’s kneecaps against the inside of Rhett’s knees. Sweet warm caress of bodies, chests bare and sticky from the heat. Dislodging his hand from the blonde man’s grasp, Link trailed his fingers down the man’s chest hair, tweaking his nipples.  The sensation of Rhett’s tiny nubs against his fingertips sent small sparks up his arms, making him rumble low in Rhett’s ear. Rubbing his bottom half against Rhett’s, Link moved his hand slowly down Rhett’s torso and tickled at his belly button. It sent the man’s body spasming deliciously against his, soft giggles and deep sighs escaping from his lips.  

 

“M’ tickles. Nuh, uh.” Rhett grunted, telling Link, “No,” but continuing to grind his lower half teasingly against Link’s crotch.  “Tired,” Rhett chuckled low in his throat and Link could almost hear the challenge, see the twitch of his lips egging Link on. 

 

Link plunged his hand down Rhett’s board shorts, twirling the tufts of pubic hair in his fingers. Feeling the curly softness, Link tapped his fingers lightly above Rhett’s penis, slightly skimming the base a couple of times, teasing. As he yanked the short, spirally hairs, Link whispered low and deep in Rhett’s ear, “Can’t I convince you?”

 

“Mmm. . . you can . . .ah. . . try . . .ah . . .” Rhett gasped quietly out, head falling back to Link’s shoulder, hips slowly pushing upwards towards Link’s hand.    

 

Link brushed his lips against Rhett’s forehead, gently and lovingly, gazing down at the man’s profile.  _ He’s so gosh darn beautiful. _  Running his deft tongue along the curve of Rhett’s ear, he felt the man shiver. Then he bit down on the soft part that joined the ear and the side of Rhett’s face. At the sudden pain, Rhett growled, hand flying to Link’s forearm, nails cutting half moons into Link’s skin.

 

Unceremoniously, Link roughly grabbed and tugged at Rhett’s already hard and throbbing penis.  His hand quickly sliding from the shaft all the way up to the tip and back down again, smearing precum in the process. “Gah. . .Gosh. . .” Rhett groaned. The movement of Rhett’s hips picked up speed as he danced between thrusting into Link’s hand and gyrating against Link’s front.  Feeling the blonde man crumble beneath his harsh and quick fingers, Link felt a satisfied shudder run through his body. 

 

Releasing the blonde man, Link struggled with pulling down both sets of shorts, freeing both men of their constrictive clothing, all the while kissing at any skin Link had access to. Rhett raised his hand to the back of Link’s neck, urging the smaller man to be more gruff with his mouth. At the sudden pressure of the large hand, Link began using his incisors to scrape against the delicate flesh around Rhett’s neck and throat. Rewarded with moans and continued bumping of Rhett’s bottom to Link’s pelvis. 

 

Link’s need became hot and demanding.  Reaching around, Link stuck two fingers into Rhett’s mouth. “Suck, baby.” he commanded softly. Rhett murmured and swirled his tongue around the fingers, flicking in and out of the space between them. His mouth moist and soft, lapping and sucking at Link. The brunette felt his groin swell and throb, a passing thought of being able to come just because of Rhett’s tongue between his pointer and middle fingers. 

 

Link pulled his sopping digits from Rhett’s mouth with a wet plop, a string of spit trailing in their wake. Digging his palms into Rhett’s round backside, he tilted his hips toward him, getting a better view.  _ What a glorious sight.  _

 

Taking his glistening fingers, he alternated between circling Rhett’s hole and pressing softly. Heat emanated from Rhett and met Link’s fingers.  Link continued to tease and prod Rhett’s backside until the movement of Rhett’s slowly bucking hips became erratic and the soft moans and breathy “Pleases” escaping from his mouth became more urgent. 

 

Feeling the man tremble with need underneath his touch, Link decided to give in to the man’s pleading and inserted two fingers slowly into the twitching hole. “Is this what you want?” Link whispered huskily as he mouthed at Rhett’s shoulder blades, leaving wet kisses and red bite marks up and down Rhett’s upper back. Continuing to pump his fingers in and out of Rhett, going further and deeper each time, Link stretching Rhett.  

 

Link relished in the delicious loud noises the blonde man was making. “Oh. . . Ah. . .Link. . . hell.  . . Gosh . . .that feels . . . shit. . .more . . . please. . . .don’t stop. . . Ah . . . Mmm.” Rhett’s words mixed with incoherent noises and small cusses vibrating in his throat. Feeling his own painful arousal leaking out, Link began softly stroking himself, as he scissored his fingers inside of Rhett.  Link floated on the noises and feel of Rhett, enjoying the pleasure and heat of the moment. The excruciating need to go further consumed him, but he wanted these sensations to last forever.

 

“Mmmm. . . Rhett. . . I need you. . .” Link pulled out of Rhett, causing the blonde to whine and shimmy his backside against Link’s hardened member trying to find anything to satiate his own need. 

 

Parting his firm cheeks, Link positioned himself at Rhett’s entrance, rubbing up and down the crease and slowly circling the tip outside the hole. Pressing forward, hot slickness encompassed him and Link lost all reason.  “Good gracious, Rhett.” Link cried out as he slammed into the taller man up to the hilt, seeing stars. 

 

The same stars that they had looked upon as a children all those years ago, when Link had been searching and finding something he didn’t quite understand. Something that made his heart skip a beat and left him wanting. Wanting what? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he was drawn to his best friend. That his presence and his smile were all that mattered. Now that they were as close as they could be, surrounded by each other and tangled up in one another, Link felt like he had discovered the thing that he was searching for. It had been here all along. In Rhett. Link’s heart was drawing him always toward Rhett. 

 

Thrusting inside the larger man, he could feel Rhett clenching around him, quickly reaching his release. Picking up speed, Link could feel his own imminent orgasm.  Running his nails down the blonde man’s back, he whispered, “I love you . .  you’re beautiful . . . you feel so good. . . Come with me, Rhett. . . “ Spasms that started in his chest and reverberated outward, sent warmth shooting across his body. Link twitched inside Rhett, sending hot spurts into the man.  Feeling Rhett’s own pleasure on his hand shortly afterward, Link sighed. Both men rocked against each other, riding each other’s and their own waves of pleasure. 

Bliss filled Link from head to toe as gratification radiated through his body. “I love you, too, Link.” Rhett mumbled from underneath the brunette.  Unwrapping himself from the other man, Link felt totally at peace. Weak and happy, the brunette’s body poured off of Rhett and onto the space next to him. Holding hands and listening to each other’s breathing slow down to a comfortable rhythm, everything was complete and as it should be. 

 

As euphoric as Link felt, it was suddenly and unexpectedly snatched from him and replaced with sudden terror. His body felt like it was ripping in half, his insides becoming his outsides. He squeezed his eyes shut and screwed up his face, as his hands became fists and his body folded into itself. The bed began to oscillate as the room spun, sending loud buzzing sounds into his brain. A deep cavern erupted in the middle of the room, as the walls began to crumble and fall away. Everything began shaking as Link cowered in pain in an empty bed.   

 

. . . 

 

White walls and bright lights flooded his vision, as his eyelids fluttered up and down. His body was screaming, but nothing escaped his mouth. The soft insides of his cheeks closed in on a firm obstruction that blocked his esophagus, trapping his ineffectual shouts in his chest. He slowly brought his leaden fingers to his throat and mouth, scraping at the plastic tubes and wires that were attached to his body. Hands wild and body twisting, he clawed at himself, full of fear and trying to escape. 

 

Beeping noises filled the small space as unknown figures rushed into the room. Suddenly, everything was tinged with heaviness and his once frantic heart, calmed. Drifting, he glimpsed a light haired woman walking toward him, as his eyelids slowly fell.   _ Rhett? Where was Rhett?  _ His mind called out as darkness took him.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, dear reader. I hope you enjoyed! Any kudos or comments give me life and inspire me to write better and more often. 
> 
> :) :) :)  
> <3<3<3


	3. Death of a Red Giant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reality crashes down around Link. The island paradise is a dream of a distant memory as he endures learning the awful truth. 
> 
> What knowledge does he acquire? 
> 
> How will he survive knowing what he knows?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Link] had the feeling that he was not where he belonged. That his world was not of this world. The light floaty feeling he had on the island was gone and in its place, his being felt like an anvil, tied to his skin and bones.

* * *

 

Link did not dream, did not envision any worlds nor did his brain give him any hope or light. Whatever the figures in white had given him, knocked him out cold and left him with only blackness for a long time. As Link struggled out of the haze, he was unsure how long he was out and didn’t know where he was. _What is going on? Where’s Rhett?_

 

Bringing his hand to his face, he felt along his dry cracked lips. The obstruction was gone and he was breathing shaky stale breaths through his mouth. The air smelled and tasted pungent. Nothing like the salty sweetness of the beach paradise. _Was Rhett still there? How had he gotten into this room? What was going on?_

 

He felt small, soft fingers in his palm. Glancing down, he glimpsed a lovely woman with dark bruises under her eyes and full lips. “You’re back. You woke up.” Relief flooded her face as wet tears streaked her face. She kissed his hand and stared at into his eyes, a small smile playing at her mouth.  

 

_Christy?_

 

_How had he forgotten about her?_

 

“Hi . . .” Link croaked, his throat dry and aching. “What. . .?”  His voice shook and refused to let out sound. Overwhelmed and afraid, Link was confused. He had the feeling that he was not where he belonged. That his world was not of this world.  The light floaty feeling he had on the island was gone and in its place, his being felt like an anvil, tied to his skin and bones. Weighed down by the heavy air of the room and Christy’s eyes.     

 

Just then, a man in a white coat and thick black glasses walked in the room. “Well look who’s finally awake.” The man said with a smile. “You gave us all a scare.” Striding over to Link, he grabbed Link’s wrist and looked away.  Link glimpsed the slightest bit of stubble on the man and the start of a receding hairline. Slim and tall, the man exuded confidence and kindness.  “What. . .?” Link tried again. The doctor looked down and smiled at Link. “Now, now. Don’t try to talk. You had a tube down your throat. It will be quite raw and uncomfortable for a little while. Take some time to let it heal.” The man smiled broadly at Link.  

 

Walking to the other side of the room, the doctor rummaged through a drawer and his hands emerged with a pad of paper and a pencil.  With sympathetic eyes, the doctor handed it to Link. “If you need something, write it down,” he said, gesturing to the supplies in Link’s hands.

 

Link thought for a moment and wrote, _Where am I?_

 

“You’re in Saint Joseph Medical Hospital in Burbank,California, Link.”

 

_You?_

 

“Doctor Adams”

 

_What happened?_

 

“On your way back to Burbank, your plane experienced a critical system malfunction caused by a flaw in the plane’s design. The pilot did the best he could to land the plane safely, but as is with these things, it was out of his hands. You were pulled out of the wreckage and transported here. It was a long and difficult first night. We were concerned that your injuries were too severe. But each day, your body has gotten stronger.”  

 

_Will I be ok?_

 

“Well you have been unconscious for two weeks. It was touch and go for a while, but you seem to be strong and a fighter. We are expecting you to make a full recovery.”

 

Link took a moment to let this sink in, chewing the end of the pencil eraser. Reaching out, he tried to touch the memory of the accident with his mind. Rummaging through his prefrontal cortex, he tried to retrieve what had happened. All he received in return were fuzzy images, disconcerting sounds and a clammy palm in his.   _Rhett’s palm._  Frowning, his brow scrunching in deep thought, Link furiously wrote on the pad.  

 

_Rhett?_

 

The doctor and Christy looked at each other. The doctor took on a compassionate smile as Christy began to sniffle, her face turning red.

 

Link pointed to the word again, snapping his finger with a thwat on the paper.

 

Both said nothing. They just stared at each other and at Link, alternating their nervous gazes.

 

Link, banged his fist on the bed, grunting “Rhe-e-e”, hitting his palm against the paper. Looking at Christy with pleading eyes. She shook her head and buried her face in her palms.

 

“Rhett!” Link begged voice hoarse. No one looked at him anymore.

 

“Rhett!” Link yelled a little louder. His friend’s name like sandpaper against his raw throat and dry tongue.

 

Link continued to scream Rhett’s name, his voice getting louder and more out of control. Feeling a prick, his vision started to blur and his words slurred together. “R-r-r-t-t-t”

 

Plunged into darkness, his hands lost their grip on the paper and pencil, as they skittered to the floor, his head falling against the pillow.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Link. Hey there, brother!_

 

_Where are you? I can’t find you._

 

_I’m here, just here._

 

_Rhett, I love you. I can’t see you._

 

Link’s eyes opened and he spied the green velvety leaves of a plant standing tall on the other side of the room.  A tall thick stalk stood in the middle of a blue glass container. Large leaves dipped and curved downward shooting in all directions from the middle.  Link wondered how smooth the leaves would be under his fingertips, if the plant was real or fake, how long it had been there. He couldn’t remember seeing it the past how many days he had woken up in this room. He wasn’t sure of his memory anymore. All he knew was that his body vibrated and pulled at him. He wanted Rhett. _Where was Rhett?_ No one was giving him answers and it had been several long grueling days of tight lips and whispered tears. It seemed like no one wanted to discuss the circumstances surrounding why he was here other than he was in a plane accident, that he was unconscious for a long time, but that he was fully recovering.

 

The doctor walked into the room, face full of smiles. “So how are we doing today, Mr. Neal.” Link was in no mood for banter. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. “Where’s Rhett?” He demanded, his voice scratching at his chafed throat. “You said I was better, so tell me. What is happening with my friend?” Link glared up at the doctor, eyes wide and fierce.

 

With a sigh the doctor pulled up a chair and sat eye level with Link. “I was hoping to talk to you about this when you were stronger. This is going to be difficult for you to hear, Mr. Neal.  But your friend, Mr. McLaughlin, is in critical shape. He was badly injured, more so than you. We found him on top of you, shielding your body from most of the wreckage. He has shown no signs of improvement since being admitted. He is still in a coma and there are no signs of brain activity.” The doctor stated plainly without emotion.

 

“Shielding my body . . .Wait. . . What? . . .no improvement. . . What are you talking about?” Link stammered, his chest seizing as breathing became difficult. Gripping his upper thighs roughly, he listened as the doctor began to rattle off diagnoses, fancy terminologies that Link didn’t have the patience or background to understand. Trying to control his frantic thoughts, he grasped at and held tightly to snippets of information,

 

_No brain activity . . . Can’t breathe on his own . . . No reflexes . . . There’s no blood flow to the brain . . . Condition not survivable . . . .Taking him off life support. . ._

 

“Not survivable . . pulling him off life support . . .” Link said as a punctuation. “Not survivable,”  his voice echoed flatly.

 

“We were waiting for you to recover so that you could say your goodbyes. Your family told us that you were his best friend and would want to see him.” The doctor said, patting Link’s arm.

 

“Yes. . . we’re best friends. . .” Link replied softly in a daze, staring at his fingers. This was too much to process. They must have misjudged the situation. This wasn’t happening. Rhett was powerful and sturdy.  He was an oak tree, unbending to the severity of the world. Growing strong, rooted in place, the place by Link’s side.  Link felt his body shut down, overwhelmed with all the doctor had said.  

 

_Not survivable?_

 

_This couldn’t be happening._

 

* * *

 

The nurses closed the shades to block out the blaze of hot sun that set everything a flame in brightness.  With the shades pulled, all that could be seen was illuminated by a sliver of soft light that creeped through the gap. The shadows draped themselves smoothly on every surface.

 

Link was grateful to the nurses. It didn’t seem right to watch what was about to happen when the room was filled with blinding sunlight. A horrible reminder that the planet continued to rotate and the sun continued to shine its rays down on the small people, cloaking everything in heat and life. People who were unaware of the destruction about to happen, unfeeling and uncaring to Link’s crumbling insides.  People laughed and sung and danced outside in the life giving sun, while inside this room, in the drafty shadows, nothing but death was about to occur.  

 

Moving further into the room, Link covered his mouth at the sight of his friend lying on the hospital bed.  The sheet, pulled up to his stomach, barely masked the degenerating body. He looked hollowed out. Once muscular arms, now limp noodles, unmoving on either side of his body.  Full lips and bright eyes, now pale, thin and hidden by closed eyelids. His blonde hair lay in a stringy mess around his once full and tanned face. Tubes and wires attached to his arms protruding from useless veins that no longer pumped his blood throughout his body. Link flitted his eyes to the various machines that surrounded his friend, the same ones that would soon be switched off, ending him. Ending both of them.

 

Putting one shaky foot in front of the other, Link made his made to the chair nearest his friend. Scooting as close as he could go, he reached out and took his limp hand into his own.  How weak and small this hand felt. Nothing like the over sized, strong hands he was used to.  The same hands that would heartily slap him on the back or give him a stinging high five. These were the hands of a stranger, but attached to the body of his lifelong companion.

 

“Are you ready, Mr. Neal?” The nurse asked quietly.  

 

“No, but I don’t think I will ever be ready for this.” Link replied, voice thick with unshed emotion.

  
The nurse nodded sadly, switched off the machines and removed the wires and tubes from his friend. Walking from the room and shutting the door softly, leaving Link alone in the cold and silent room.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a difficult chapter to write, dear reader. Thank you for sticking with it! 
> 
> <3 RzDz


	4. Supernova Explosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link watches as his friend struggles between life and death. Is there any hope?
> 
>  
> 
> _Seconds passed, minutes blended into hours and chased after the days, as Link lie there watching specs of dust dance and bob in the air above Rhett’s face._

 

People always say that there is a better place, somewhere where deceased family and friends can be reunited with loved ones and be joyful. A comfortable place in the clouds where the angels soar and God peers down and smiles.  A place of wonder and delight, surroundings that you get to envision for yourself, creating an environment that would make you most happy.  

Link believed in God and had found Jesus as a child. The teachings of his childhood bled through to his adult life. He clung to the stories that high and mighty men spouted to him every Sunday. Commanding voices that read from the Book full of damnation and exaltation. He dug his fingers into the inky pages like they were a lifeline. 

 

Heaven was described as a wondrous place, full of everlasting harmony. A pure blissful setting that was more significant than our inconsequential minds could ever imagine. He had to know that Rhett would be there. Somewhere, anywhere safe and warm, waiting for him. That Rhett would still  _ be _ . Link could not bear the alternative. The alternative meant that Rhett would be gone and just disappear into the atmosphere. His body would decay and his soul would evaporate. It would be like he had never existed, like he had never affected Link’s life. It was a thought that Link couldn’t survive. 

 

Link thrust the thought away with both hands as he let his mind meander among the places that Rhett would go to. Would it be similar to his childhood home? A sturdy house among the trees and nature, where both boys had run wild and free in the woods. Would it mirror the GMM set, since they were there practically eighteen hours a day? The thriving business that they had built together with nothing more than their bare hands and creativity.  Would it be the parched expanse of the desert that they liked to camp in? Sitting around a crackling fire, smelling the dryness of the earth and burning wood. Maybe Rhett would find himself in the middle of the tall redwood trees that Link had given him for his birthday. A view so magnificent that it would bring the blonde man to tears every time he gazed at the robust stalks shooting into the sky.  Or would it be like the inside of Link’s heart, because that is where Rhett has always been? He wondered if Rhett would find peace in whatever place he ended up.  

 

But these were passing deliberations, because Link was selfish and didn’t want Rhett to have any of these things. He wasn’t willing to give Rhett never ending rapture if it meant that he wouldn’t be at Link’s side.  Letting the blonde man slip from his fingers and leave him was not something Link would find easy to do. Looking at their hands intertwined, Link felt the overflow of his heart as it flooded his insides and leached into his bones, with nowhere else to go. The one person that he could shower it upon was soon to be unable to receive it.  His love for Rhett was a bittersweet love. It was powerful and enduring and at the same time, a useless thing. Love that instead of filling his days with cloudless skies, it smashed him to pieces. Love that tore him apart and made him cry for the one man that he was supposed to be with. The man he was supposed to have many more years with. 

 

Link knew that in the grand scheme of things that they were all small human beings with small mortal lives, but their existence together had been too short. Time was fickle and rushed along without Link’s full understanding of the ramifications. He cursed each taken for granted  moment that he marathoned through; Each time Link had hoped Christmas morning would be here soon, or that school would end so that his days were filled with summer or the many hours he had wasted wishing he were older and free. He should have bathed in those moments. Should have wrapped himself up in the seconds he tried to wish away for something better. Never realizing that his  _ better _ was already here, reflected in green irises. Link thought there would be more time. 

 

But there is never enough time. 

 

The idea of Rhett being out of pain and in a better place, did not comfort Link or stop him from kissing the man’s temple and holding tightly to his hand as he prayed for the man to open his eyes. His blasphemous mouth rejected and damned God and at the same time begged him to be merciful. As he stared into the man’s gray tinted face, with wisps of silver framing his chin, he prayed with more fervor than he had prayed in the last thirty years of life. He spoke to Jesus, to the devil, to mother nature, to the many spirits and gods of other faiths.  To anyone or anything that would listen and reverse the downward spiral of Rhett’s dying body.  Link threw his energy over Rhett and forced the life back into him, willing him to move.  

 

_ It wasn’t fair. They were just supposed to take a quick trip. Talk with some businessmen, maybe make a merchandise deal and fly back the same day. It was supposed to be just another drop in the bucket of times they had flown places, completed business dealings and came back. It wasn’t supposed to be important. It wasn’t supposed to be life changing. It wasn’t supposed to be . . .  _

 

_. . .life ending. _

 

_ It’s not fair, _ Link’s mind screamed repeatedly, as he held fast to the man, feeling his weak heart beat in his palm.  _ Please.  _

 

With damp eyes, Link watched Rhett’s parted lips suck in small puffs of air. He imagined the needed oxygen coming upon dead ends and strange passageways as it got lost on it’s way to Rhett’s lungs. How he wished he could be Rhett’s organs. He could find a way to fix the man and heal him. So that he could rise from the bed, stronger and more steadfast into Link’s arms. 

 

Tightening his hold on the blonde’s fingers, he watched Rhett’s chest rise and fall, as his body trembled in the struggle between life and death.  Bubbles and saliva formed at the corners of Rhett’s mouth, that Link wiped away with his shirt sleeve. Small choking sounds mixed with intakes of breath could be heard emanating from the large man. Each time Rhett would breathe, Link felt a jolt in his heart. Maybe oh maybe, they were mistaken. He is tough, he is a fighter. We will get through this together, like we always do. 

 

Link should not have given himself false hope, because Link was the the one who was fatally wrong. 

 

Rhett’s breathing slowed, stopped, started again, stopped, started, stopped, stuttered. 

 

One last raspy high pitched gasp, his body jerked softly and then that was it.  The ‘bu da bu da’ of Rhett’s heart faded away and Link could no longer feel Rhett’s life in his hands.  

 

“No, no, no, no, no. Rhett.” Link breathed putting his face to the man’s cheek.  “Not now. Please, wait.” An unbearable pain radiated through his body as fast blobs of tears fell from the brunette's eyes, his nose beginning to run and his sobs coming out in wet soundless coughs. 

 

But he did not swipe at the tears and he did not wipe his face. He chose to wither in this feeling of loss.  He drowned in the idea that this would be the last time he would ever hold his friend and feel his warmth.  The last time his eyes would caress his face and his hands touch him.  

 

Link climbed into the bed with Rhett and wrapped his body around the other man’s form. It seemed as if the world had stopped as Link clung on. Link felt that all life had ended and left the planet with Rhett.  Seconds passed, minutes blended into hours and chased after the days, as Link lie there watching specs of dust dance and bob in the air above Rhett’s face.  

 

Link knew that the heat and life that was once present in the man’s large form would dissipate into the cold room.  He pictured the now pale thin skin rotting away, bright green eyes disappearing and getting eaten away by bugs. His friend’s body becoming food for the Earth and the creatures that dwelled underneath the soil. 

 

The fat tears dripped down Link’s face and fell on to Rhett’s slackened cheeks, splattering.  Link continued to hold on to Rhett, because what else was there that he could do?  The sun that shone through the crack in the shades waned and after a while the room was shrouded in darkness. Still Link peered through the shadows and gazed at Rhett’s form. Link had memorized his features a long time ago and didn’t need the light in order to still picture the man. In his mind’s eye, he took in the slope of the other man’s nose, the way his beard covered his upper lip, the crinkles he gets around his eyes when he smiles. . .  _ when he smiled. _

 

His mind drifted to their thirty years together. Parallel lives undergone in tandem. Walking through every stage of life together as a team. They were going to conquer the world together, bring it crashing to it’s knees with their influence. Biting his fist, he quivered. They had so many more things that they wanted to create and experience, love they still had within themselves to show. 

 

Vividly, he recalled all the times they had joked about their deaths. It had seemed such a far off prospect, that Link had not taken the conversations seriously.  Now all Link could wonder is why had he repressed the words that Rhett so longed to hear. Each time the subject was broached, Rhett blatantly stated that if they had to die, then it should be together.  Why had Link ignored the other man, showing off for the fans and camera and shoving against the sentiment behind the words? It would have been as easy as breathing to echo the identical feelings that were inside of him.

 

Link’s flippant responses had rocked the blonde man to his core, piercing his heart. Link knew it, had known it. Now all Link could do was wish that he had another minute to tell Rhett everything that he should have confessed years ago.   _ You are my soulmate. There is no world, no universe or life beyond you and I am disappearing without you. I am ceasing to exist. I want nothing more from this arduous life, than you.  _

 

But Link didn’t say any of these things when he had had a chance. He didn’t even voice the the words now.  It was much too late and this was Link’s biggest regret. 

 

The nurses came in when the last of the light fell from the room.  They placed gentle hands on his back, urging him to stand. “It’s time, Mr. Neal.” Link took one last look at the face he had seen nearly every day of his life and allowed the nurses to pull him to his feet. Not realizing how weak he was, his body slumped to the floor in a heap of mucous and anguish.  He couldn’t leave his friend in the dark loneliness of the stark hospital room. He wouldn’t do that to Rhett. Reaching up, he grasped at the hand that he had held as a child.  A small damp hand that had turned large overnight it seemed. Thirty years was a blink of an eye.  Link wasn’t ready for it to end. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye. 

 

He wept softly on the floor as the nurses watched from across the room, eyes full of compassion. Link cried himself dry and clutched the now cold, stiff hand of his friend. Blinking his moist, gritty eyes his mind felt blank and he was overwhelmed with an emptiness. A dark never ending chasm had widened his chest and hollowed out all his organs.  

 

He sat there a long time, his mind numb when a sudden of noise, something clanging in the hallway brought Link back to his senses. The world came rushing back as he glimpsed the light pouring into the darkened room from the hallway.  

 

A bewildered feeling washed over his core that Rhett’s body was now a shell.   Link felt a wave of nausea knowing that his spirit was no longer reaching out to Link and that the person that lay on the bed cloaked in darkness, was no longer his best friend and companion. The body was just an encasement, which no longer housed the big, towering loud man anymore. A lifetime of laughter and happiness, all the experiences halted as his partner had drifted off in the breeze, gone forever.  Link dragged himself up and turned, so that he was hovering above his friend. Running his hands through Rhett’s hair, Link curled his fingers in the soft greasy locks.  Bending down, he pressed his lips to Rhett’s ear, barely touching and in a whisper stated, “I love you, Rhett. Soon.”  Pressing their foreheads together, he took a deep breath and let go. He mournfully walked out the door, eyes forward, without so much as a glance back at what he said goodbye to.  With new determination, he had had come to a decision. He would not be left behind. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a very difficult chapter to write. Your tears are my tears, dear reader. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. Sucked into a Black Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link loses his reason. The reason left when Rhett did. How can Link cope with the crushing loss? He decides to join him.

* * *

  
  


In the days following, Link stopped eating. He stopped cleaning himself. He stayed indoors and refused to open the curtains to let in the sunshine.  Tall moist glasses of water were pressed into his hands, urged and begged to drink, but the glasses were left to sit and evaporate into the air. 

 

Link’s already thin body faded away as ribs and bones protruded out sharply.  His clavicles were like tiny knives, threatening to tear through his skin at any sudden movement. His once thick dark hair that he cared so much for, became a thin, greasy, snaggled mess on top of his head with unflattering gray hair streaking the sides. 

 

Dark stubble became a staggering contrast against the pale sallow cheeks and sunken eyes with bruised markings underneath. His long slender fingers became weak and wrinkled.  Feeble and slow arms hung at his sides with barely enough strength to hold on to himself as he cried. Which it seemed, he couldn’t stop doing since he lost Rhett. The slow trickle of wetness stuffed up his nose, reddened his dry eyes and made his throat feel raw and full, causing him to have trouble taking full breaths. Still he did not care. 

 

The hospital would not release him and stuck IV’s of fluids and supplements into his arms, which he would tear out as soon as the nurse walked from the room, to let drip into his bedpan.  Doctors traipsed in and out of the room urging him to eat. Telling him that starvation would kill him. That he would die slowly and painfully.  That they would send him to the mental health floor, lock him in a one window room and force him to eat. Still he did not care. 

 

Christy begged him to stay with her. She was lovely and pure. Everything that he had ever wanted out of the world, second in his mind only to Rhett. Her cries tore through him like shards of broken glass, fueling his anger and sadness. He could not bring himself to comfort her. He stayed statue still whenever she came into the room. 

 

When she clutched at his hand or went to hug or kiss him, his body stiffened against her tiny hands. The moments she searched for his eyes, Link’s eyes were staring into the distance picturing green eyes staring back.  Even when Christy broke down in sobs, her shaking body rattling the bed, wet tears soaking their hands, he did not stir. He did not answer her wails as her thin voice broke down in sobs, “I love you, Link. Please, please don’t do this. . .”  Still he did not care. 

  
  


========================

 

Still he did not care. As he broke the lock on the cabinet that stored what he craved. His eyes were on the end of the road. Wherever Rhett was, he was speeding along the desolate thoroughfare searching for him.  The journey was going too slowly for Link. He was jittery and anxious and ready to sloth off this human cloak. It had become heavy and useless, just a limp weight that kept him stuck in place.  That kept him sinking further away from Rhett as Rhett floated further into the atmosphere.  

 

Tossing severals stolen bottles onto the bed, he watched them bounce, hearing the satisfying rattle of movement inside each one. Popping the safety top of each bottle, he spread the tiny tablets on the sheets of the bed, sorting each by color and size into manageable piles. Swiping up a palmful, he held them in his hand, feeling the weightlessness of them. Staring at the white oblong pills, his eyes traced along the V’s. 

 

How so many tiny inconsequential items could cause the damage Link hoped was unbelievable. He threw his hand against his mouth, allowing the pills to tumble to his tongue and blanched at the chalky medicine taste. He took a gulp of water and felt the bundle slide down his mouth, and work it’s way down his esophagus, slowly expanding it along the way, plopping into his stomach cavity.  Taking a deep breath, he looked out over the rest of the tiny capsules, choosing the ones he wanted next. Taking two handfuls of tiny round pink pills, he jammed the pills into his mouth, chewing slightly before sipping from his glass. 

 

As he continued to swallow several more handfuls of vicodin, percocet, sleeping pills and many other names Link could not pronounce, he took long gulps of water and tried to keep his breathing steady.  Sweat poured from his body as his stomach rolled and gurgled, threatening to expunge all that he had ingested. Anger at the fragility of his body lit a fire of determination inside of Link. He was going to keep everything inside.  The poison he was consuming would not escape and delay what was about to happen. 

 

In between water and pills, his mind flitted momentarily to Christy. His heart broke for her. Her smile, her intelligent eyes, the way she hugged him. How he had loved her. She was a wonderful companion in this life, but Link knew that she would move on. 

 

She didn’t need him, like Link needed Rhett. Her entire life did not belong to Link as Link’s entire life belonged to Rhett. Rhett held in his hands, Link’s childhood, his adolescence, his twenties, his adulthood, every important and not so important moment in between. Nothing Link went through in his life was his alone.   Rhett owned every single memory, the same as Link did. His thirty years of life were so entangled in that of his friend’s, that it was impossible to separate the two lives. So when the blonde man’s life was cut short, it severed any and all possibility for the future that Link was meant to have. 

 

_ My best friend took all the important parts of me with him the minute he left me. I don’t want any future if that means I am without him.  _

 

So he knew that Christy would be sad, but that she could find her feet and her life would continue.  Link’s life was at a shattered standstill. _ But not for long.  _

 

After taking another long pull of water, he glanced down to see that the bed that was once littered with tiny items, was clear except for the empty pill bottles. All the capsules sat heavy in his stomach as he slipped into the bed, his eyelids growing heavy.  Settling down into the covers and pillows, he tried to make himself as comfortable as possible in his final moments. Incredible warmth radiated from his skin, perspiration soaking through his clothing and the sheets, but at the same time he shivered uncontrollably, his teeth clacking together as he gripped the scratchy linens. 

 

Breathing raggedly from the agony in his intestines, he allowed the sleeping pills to cover his brain in a fog and shut down his senses one by one. A painful tingling started from his toes and fingertips and travelled up his appendages. Losing feeling in his body, except for the incessant torment in his stomach and limbs, his mind began to drift, to dance along the memories of Rhett. 

 

He remembered the times where Rhett held tight to his arm when he was excited about something. The rise and fall of his voice as he shared one of his obsessions with Link, wine tasting, multidimensions and crow hunting. The excited holler of happiness, as Rhett would throw his body around and clutch at himself when he was laughing at something silly Link had done or said. The wonderful feeling of creating something together.  Of watching their business thrive and grow and know that it was thanks to their love for each other that paved the way. The single minded devotion he always had shown to Link. Fights or arguments would not keep the taller man away for very long. There was never a hesitation when Link needed him, Rhett was there.   _ I need you now, but you can’t come. This time, I’m coming back to you. Wait for me. Just wait. . .   _

 

The strength that Rhett had always given him flooded his body, calming his anxious mind, as his body began to convulse and shake. Sweat stung his eyes and his heart slammed in his ears causing a dull ache in his brain. Frothy drool began to leak out from the corner of his mouth. His stomach cramped, threatening to loosen his bowels and spill his insides out. Unafraid, Link let Rhett’s presence encircle him and lead him. Grasping the bedspread, Link didn’t know what would happen, but he hoped that he would always be with Rhett.  That Rhett would find him and keep him safe. 

 

Squeezing his eyes shut, he saw a tall lanky body behind his eyelids. Bearded lips smiling, virescent eyes dancing. Link’s eyelids fluttered open and the image stayed in his sight.  The quality of the image was similar to the times Link squeezed his eyes shut and saw bursts of color float across his eyes, except the specs of light were Rhett and Link’s tired eyes were open.  The vision mirrored the Rhett that Link had seen weeks ago when the small man had been unconscious. A healthy man with strong arms that were crossed comfortably across his tan bare chest, glittering eyes set on Link. Eyes that roamed along Link, unflinching and quiet. Patient and ready eyes.   

 

Link’s own eyes began to cloud over, causing the apparition to swim and sway, as what felt like a fire poker was stuck into Link’s side. His body lit on fire, flames licking at his fingers, elbows and face and everywhere in the spaces between. And in the midst of the fire spreading along Link’s skin, his body screamed out to him that it was time. Focusing on the wobbling image of his best friend, he whispered, “Soon, Rhett. Wait . . ”  

 

Unable to finish his words, his jaw locked painfully on his tongue, causing a splash of blood to leak down his throat. Without fight he allowed his jerking body to take over. His body jostled the bed, sending the empty pill bottle skittering to the floor.  The sound echoed too loudly in his ears. Before losing complete semblance of reality, he sucked in a mouthful of sour air through the gaps in his teeth.  The stagnant air sliced its way through his windpipe and barely inflated his aching lungs. 

  
His last breath. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, my dear reader for sticking with me on this. I appreciate all your support, kudos and comments. They give me life and push me to write more and to write better. 
> 
> Be well and BYMB!
> 
> <3 RzDz

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, dear reader! This fic did not take the direction that I thought it would. Fluffy fic turned wrong, horribly wrong. 
> 
> Be warned: it does NOT end in rainbows and unicorns.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: Razle-Dalzle


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